The Representation of Disillusioned Youth in Chetan Bhagat’s “Five Point Someone”

and “One Night @ the Call Centre”- Teenage Voice Books.

It would not be wrong, I believe, to start with an over-quoted view that literature
mirrors the society and the age in which it is produced. We have Taine’s theory of race,
milieu and moment to substantiate my point. For example, the problems of the orphans
during the Victorian age and their heart touching reflection in the works of Dickins. After
all literature is for society, by society and through Society, but we must not forget that
any looking glass does not present a real picture; neither does literature. Literature
presents truths, not facts. It presents facts in fictionalized form; colored by the beliefs,
experiences and attitudes of writers. There is always an undercurrent layer which fills
breath into the charm of literature. A real object of all great literature is ‘Karuna’.As it is
said inSanskrit-
“ekorasahkarunaeva”
Literary artists of all times have, in one way or other, tried to exploit ‘Karun’
Rasa in different forms and Chetan Bhagat is no exception. Conflict nurtures Karun rasa.
In contemporary non-dramatic literature conflict plays a crucial role as the catastrophe
plays in Greek literature . Oedipus, Hamlet, Macbeth to Ryan, Alok, Hari Kumar, shyam,
Vroom, Priyanka, Radhika, Esha etc have been prey to conflict. First three characters in
the previous line have been prey to internal conflict whereas the rest are to external
conflict. Preciously conflict can be classified into two types-
i – Internal Conflict
ii – External Conflict
Though they both are different in kind yet they both have their reciprocal
influence on each other.
The practice of reflecting the scenario of time is not confined to any age or time.
In modern writing in English the voice of youth, Chetan Bhagat has brought the real
portrait of modern youth to our notice though in miniature scale.Chetan Bhagat’s
experience at the IIT in New Delhi is the inspiration for “Five Point Someone: what not
to do at IIT”, the title is a reference to the struggle that his three main characters undergo.
Bhagat clearly mentions it in the very first chapter of the book-
 “…it is probably an example of how screwed up your
college years can get if you don’t think straight”
The lines quoted above are a clear indication of the way students are forced to think, act
and behave. To put it simply, talent is imprisoned. It loses its freedom. As a result
innovativeness suffers. The chief element that permeates in both the novels is conflict
which pushes the characters into the cannon of disillusionment. Ryan with his rebellious
nature protests against the existing system which later on turns into a form of
conflict.Young people have far more options than their parents but their choices remain
circumscribed by a traditional education system and overbearingly high
expectations.Ryan compares the place with jail where they don’t have ‘freedom to think’
innovatively, freely or in their own way.
In great fury Ryan says,
“I think this is a jail. It really is, Damn Jail”
All three major characters are lost somewhere in the crowd of set norms and
rules. They all are expected to behave in certain expected way and the way is paved by
so-called (according to youth) authorities and worldly wise people. Youth is just like a
rear wheel whichhas to follow the front wheel. They are mechanized in such a way that
they have to adjust themselves with an ongoing process, no matter whether it suits them
or not. All these give them nothing but the fruits of monotony which are the fuel to push
youth into disillusionment.They have only one option that is to mourn.
In deep agony Ryan grumbles,
“…Working away like mornic drones until midnight,
ManProyesterday, ApMech day before, Quanto today
…it never ends”Ryan grumbled. “I need a break, man…”
Eventually they(youth) cover their ideas with the earth of set beliefs and ideas.
During the best phase of life that is to say Youth, they are so much overburdened with
expectations and responsibilities that they miss life and its charm. So gradually, perhaps,
they develop the tendency to escape from daily affairs. “Five Point Someone” is a story
of the exam-overloaded lives of the students who get into the country's top university, the
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, only to rebel against the stultifying atmosphere of
academic competition.
 “This system of relative grading and overburdening the
students. I mean it kills the best fun years of your life.
… where is the room for original thought?
Where is the time for creativity? It is not fair.”
They live in an atmosphere of burden, depression and frustration that can befall
any one and youth has to pay the price for being youth by suppressing their dreams and
aspiration. It is a kind of lost generation who is depressed, frustrated and disappointed
with the overburdened of work. They don’t have liberty to live their life in their own free
will. Here Alok wants to be a painter but he has to drag himself to the profession of
engineering to fulfill the dreams of parents. But what about his own dreams? No body
thinks and no body cares. For him reality is engineering and dream is painting so he is
sandwiched between reality and dream. And here comes conflict, conflict with his own
state of what he is and what he wants to be? To escape from the reality all three
characters namely Ryan, Alok and harikumar consume Vodka, a kind of hard drink.
Vodka represents their voice and openly brings out their hidden voice-
“give me some sunshine, give me some rain.
Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again”.
To consume vodka in excess indicates their escapism from the surrounding and from
themselves. Vodka consuming is an evidence of their shattered dreams unfulfilled
desires. Such idea is very well expressed by Victor Mavedzenge in his poem “pupil”-
“You’re young
and nothing matters but
broken bottles and shattered dreams”
Chetan Bhagat has authentic claims to being one of the voices of a generation of
middle-class Indian youth facing the choices and frustration that comes with prospect of
wealth.It's about ambitions and dreams. “One Night @ The Call Centre” is about young
Indians who aren't contented within the call centre environment anymore. Dr
KanikaKhandelwal, professor of psychology at LSR College agrees, "Today, there's a
new confidence. Youngsters want to achieve more. They want to empower themselves.
They aren't just excited by the glamorous, moneymaking call centre jobs. The kids know
there's stress, collar abuse and stagnation if you stick around too long." In “One Night @
The Call Centre”, Shyam is such a character who always looks at everything with fury in
mind. Say for an example-He calls his aunty as my mother’s sister like he has no direct
relation with her. His critical remarks towards his boss Bakshi and cousin clearly state
out his mental picture.Moreover he is constantly suffering from inferiority complex. He
always addresses himself as “good for nothing”.
Shyam pitifully says,
“You can say I am the black sheep of my family”
All young characters are always in the search of alternative that can lessen their stress.
He prefers to ride bike at high speed to reduce his tension. As Vroom says to Shyam,
“… I’m stressed today, I need to get it out of me with fast ride”
Disillusionment is something which is unrealistic or incompatible with reality. It
is like what they want to do and what they have to do. In this confusion wishes have to
recede the rear seat. Their own opinion is not given the proper importance. All the
characters have to see the world from the way their parents want them to see.
As Sham says,
“… who the hell cares for my opinion”
Chetan Bhagat has presented the conflict between traditional views and modern
views. Very preciously conflict between old generation and new generation. The conflict
between Priyanka and her mother, Ryan and his Parents, Radhika and her mother-in-law
would suffice my point. Priyanka’s words clearly mention the point. She points out-
“ But she ha a problem with everything. My thinking, my friend, my boyfriend”
Most of the characters have problem with their parents. Because of that problem
or conflict the state of relation is degrade. Relationship just becomes so-called relation.
Such is the case with Ryan and his family. Ryan says about his family-
“But I don’t miss them.”
Generation gap is also a reason for not being in good speaking terms. Their point
of view always differs. There is no coherence between the relationship between priyanka
and her mother. As she says,
“ ‘Me and my mom’ , she said, ‘ are incapable
of having a rational, sane conversation”
Everyone feels pain, because everyone has a dark side to their life. But mentle
pain is more gruesome than physical pain. Eash wounds herself to forget her mental
pain. As she says,
“Real pain is mental pain”
Internal conflict also affects their work. In ONC all characters have got their own
problems and because of that problems they can not concentrate on their work. Satirically
Shyam addresses their down position and relates it with the down position of system. He
says,
“A lot is down tonight, not just the system”.
The trouble which employees have to face because of the bad boss is very well
depicted by Chetan Bhagat. The entire castof ONC suffers because of boss’s bossism.
Like rich men’s story is always true, all the employ have to shake their heads with the
head so-called boss. Vroom calls his boss as stupid and evil in the following lines-
“Screw bakshi. He is not only bad boss around. C’mon
the whole world is being run by bad, stupid-evil boss”
There are number of characters who pretend to be happy ut actually they are not
For the youth, youth is their friend, philosopher and guide. They always prefer to enjoy
their companionship. Foe them their true treasure is their friends. As friendship is one of
the prominent themes of FPS and ONC. Mr.Bhagat ha become the embodiment of the
Indian dream. there're Shym(sem), Vroom (Victor), Natasha (Natasha Kapoor). The list is
endless. The midnight gossip, snacking and sex haven't helped. They're alone, singular
voices echoing a fed up and stressed out emotion. Says Dr A Sankara Reddy, principal of
Venkateswara College,
“…The BPO culture and lifestyle have led to disillusionment…”
The disillusionment comes with a price. Fact is young Indians are engineering their
dreams more professionally.

masochism